Chicano Theatre has it's roots in the Spanish conquerors who brought religious plays with them as a way of explaining their beliefs. Later, as railroads developed across the southwest US, theatre became a way for communities to share and maintain aspects of their culture with other people. Modern Chicano Theatre centered around the Civil Rights movement, where people would often put on plays about political matters. It quickly established itself as a "revolutionary theatre committed to social change." These plays often discuss the difficulties different races have in living in a nation not their own, and include both Spanish and English words.
Mexican-American Theatre celebrates an old and culturally colorful past. In his chapter on the subject, John Brokaw begins by saying this theatre form came about to "maintain a strong sense of community" for Mexican-Americans. Most early plays dealt with religious stories and were performed by amateur actors for local groups. In the 1870s, professional acting groups came to America and became so popular that they would perform year round and rehearse multiple plays at once. Following the revolution in Mexico in 1910, many people fled to America, and the Villalongin theatre company was one of the few to survive. This company increasingly reflected aspects of American life - it used American writers, actors, and buildings, but it also conveyed aspects of Mexican-American culture and traditions. Playwright Luis Valdez is credited with starting Chicano Theatre with his plays about the Mexican farm strikes. This form became widely popular and was used to raise awareness for school discrimination and workers' rights.
Will finish the others later...
Chicano Theatre has it's roots in the Spanish conquerors who brought religious plays with them as a way of explaining their beliefs. Later, as railroads developed across the southwest US, theatre became a way for communities to share and maintain aspects of their culture with other people. Modern Chicano Theatre centered around the Civil Rights movement, where people would often put on plays about political matters. It quickly established itself as a "revolutionary theatre committed to social change." These plays often discuss the difficulties different races have in living in a nation not their own, and include both Spanish and English words.
Mexican-American Theatre celebrates an old and culturally colorful past. In his chapter on the subject, John Brokaw begins by saying this theatre form came about to "maintain a strong sense of community" for Mexican-Americans. Most early plays dealt with religious stories and were performed by amateur actors for local groups. In the 1870s, professional acting groups came to America and became so popular that they would perform year round and rehearse multiple plays at once. Following the revolution in Mexico in 1910, many people fled to America, and the Villalongin theatre company was one of the few to survive. This company increasingly reflected aspects of American life - it used American writers, actors, and buildings, but it also conveyed aspects of Mexican-American culture and traditions. Playwright Luis Valdez is credited with starting Chicano Theatre with his plays about the Mexican farm strikes. This form became widely popular and was used to raise awareness for school discrimination and workers' rights.
Will finish the others later...